Cricket Australia visits Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Coaches gain insights from visit to leading sports research facility

In recent Months the Gatorade Sports Science Institute has opened its doors to Cricket Australia. Attendees included a group of Coaches from the ICC Americas Region attending a Representative Coaching Course; and Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Cricket Australia's Women’s Youth Coach.

Founded in 1985, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) is committed to helping athletes optimize their health and performance through research and education in hydration and nutrition science.

GSSI scientists study the effects of nutrition on the human body before, during and after exercise. For more than two decades, hundreds of amateur, elite and professional athletes have participated in testing with GSSI and in studies with university research partners around the world.

GSSI’s headquarter lab, mobile and satellite laboratories and on the field testing enable GSSI to do leading research with the aim to provide athletes with advice and products that help their performance and achieve their goals.

Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Cricket Australia's Women’s Youth Coach visited the GSSI headquarters in Barrington Illinois on a recent visit to the US for the ICC Americas Talent Combine.

“I felt the visit to GSSI backed up what I thought was already important and blew away preconceived ideas i had. It’s not just a product - they also back it up with research”

Fitzpatrick met with the director of the institute, Dr. James Carter. With an extensive background in Sport and Exercise Sciences, he has worked in several fields including Premier League Football & the British Army.

GSSI work closely with athletes to devise individual hydration plans for athletes and have worked with teams such as the Denver Broncos in the run up to the Super Bowl.

Fitzpatrick’s visit to the facilities included a presentation on the work the GSSI carry out and a tour of the sports labs.

“I was impressed with how diverse their research is. They work with Shona Halson (the Senior Physiologist with the Australian Institute of Sport) in regards to Athlete's sleep.”

While much of the research is focused around Elite level performance; Fitzpatrick believes information can be applied across all levels of competition in Cricket.

“The GSSI website is an amazing resource for any athletes or coaches who want to improve on their hydration and nutrition, I would encourage anyone from Community Coaches up to the Elite levels to utilise the information they offer to the public”